This invention relates to personal care products, and in particular to a patient bathing system having at least one washcloth for body cleansing, the washcloth being disposable and having a generally uniform distribution of cleansing solution.
Co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/684,127, filed Jul. 19, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,311, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, and Ser. No. 08/944,227, filed Oct. 6, 1997, entitled "Patient Bathing System", now U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,278, the disclosure of which is also incorporated herein by reference, disclose a patient bathing system comprising a series of impregnated washcloths disposed within a hollow outer package. The earlier application is directed to a label seal for the package, while the later application is directed to a particular form of the flexible package for retaining the washcloths.
For patient comfort, it is important that the washcloths be made from blends of fibers which are not irritating, but are sufficiently dense to retain the cleansing solution. The amount of cleansing solution is also very important. Too much cleansing solution will cool the patient's body, and will take too long to dry after the cleansing process. On the other hand, too little cleansing solution will tend to form suds when the washcloths are used, the solution dries too quickly, cleansing will be incomplete, and the patient's skin can be irritated by scrubbing with a too-dry washcloth.
Therefore, not only is it important that the cleansing solution be properly dispersed throughout the washcloths, but also the material of the washcloths is important, as well as the amount of cleansing solution impregnating the washcloths.